Apply for a Student Job

Overview and Access:

All student employment jobs are posted on Handshake, which is a platform used to post jobs online. All UC San Diego students receive student login credentials and a university email address which grants access to many university systems, including Handshake. To gain access, UC San Diego Career Services will send every new student a link to create an account with the school before the start of fall classes. 

Handshake Profile:

All Handshake users have a profile that is used by employers to quickly find qualified applicants and ensure that a candidate is a good match for their job opportunity. Students should complete as many of the profile fields as possible and keep them up to date, including relevant coursework, any special training, seminars taken, or experience.

Job Search Best Practices:

When searching for a job, it is essential to review the job description and examine its responsibilities, as well as your course load, extracurricular activities, and external obligations. The Student Employment Office recommends applying for jobs that match your interests, skills, and positions that provide an opportunity to gain valuable work experience. 

When reviewing available jobs, Handshake's filtering features can help refine the job search based on individual interests, preferences, and goals. Be sure to read all job postings thoroughly and take note of all requirements such as start date, preferred availability, hours of work, starting pay, and required experience or knowledge. 

When applying for jobs, note the additional documents required as part of the application packet. These may include a resume, cover letter, class schedule or availability, federal work-study award letter, writing samples, and letters of recommendation. Career Advisors at the Career Center can assist in creating career assets such as these and appointments can be scheduled online via Handshake or on the Career Center website.

Resume:

The resume is a marketing tool used by candidates to demonstrate the required qualifications for an open position to hiring managers. The resume includes current and past work history, skills, strengths, and education. This is the first opportunity for a candidate to impress potential employers and be selected for an interview. In general, resumes should not be more than one page in length unless there is extensive work experience to highlight. Employers can sometimes get dozens of application packets for a single job posting, so it is important to ensure that the required qualifications are highlighted clearly and easy to find. 

It is important to ensure that the resume contains information related to the job’s requested qualifications, including keywords from the posting. It should also highlight relevant experience and knowledge gained from previous or current positions. Major accomplishments and achievements should be highlighted for each role listed. Accomplishments or projects that are not related to the scope of the job can be omitted unless they are relevant in another way. 

Position descriptions should be structured using the APR (Action + Project + Results) model: 

1. A verb (action word) 
2. Briefly describe the project 
3. Describe and quantify the result of your action

It is also important to ensure that the resume has the correct contact information at the top, including the email address and cell phone number. This is how hiring managers will reach out, so it is important that the email address listed is accurate and checked regularly. Once completed, a professional resume should be uploaded to Handshake as part of the applicant profile.

Cover Letter:

A cover letter is an opportunity for candidates to provide additional context and clarity to their resume and explain why they are interested in the job. Cover letters are more narrative in nature and should not be more than one page in length. When creating a cover letter, identify the skills or qualifications that the specific job posting targets and highlight the experience, skills, and knowledge from the resume that meet these qualifications. It is also important to highlight personal values and personality in the cover letter, some employers look for these things when determining who to bring in for an interview.

Class Schedule/Availability:

Some employers may ask for a class schedule or availability to work in the current or upcoming quarter as part of the application packet. This is important because employers often have certain shifts that they are trying to fill, and need to determine early on if a candidate will meet their scheduling needs. Uploaded schedules should clearly show when the candidate is available or unavailable to work. Items such as asynchronous classes, club meetings, sports, or other extracurricular activities should be included. It is also important to highlight availability for academic breaks such as Winter Break, Spring Break, and Summer.

Work-Study Award Letter:

Your Work-Study Award letter is more than just a financial aid document—it’s a key asset that can help you land on-campus job opportunities. Many campus employers seek students who are eligible for Work-Study, and by attaching your award letter to your applicant documents, you highlight your eligibility and make it easier for employers to see how you fit their hiring needs. Don’t miss out—make your Work-Study Award letter part of your application toolkit and give yourself an edge in the hiring process! 

Once hiring managers receive application packets, it can take 1-2 weeks to review and determine candidates to move forward for interviews. Check the posting close date to ensure that you know when you will likely hear back about the position. Hiring managers reach out to candidates via email or phone when they would like to schedule an interview. Not all applicants will receive an interview, and the number of interviews offered will differ based on the number of positions being filled and the number of qualified applicants. It is essential to regularly monitor email during the application process to respond to potential employers and prepare for the interview promptly. Any delay in response, or lack of response completely, could delay the hiring process or cause the candidate to be disqualified. The Student Employment Office does not recommend contacting the hiring manager directly, especially if their information was not listed on the Handshake job posting.

The job interview is the next important step for candidates to position themselves as the ideal candidate for a position. To prepare effectively, consider doing the following:

• Examine and anticipate skills and qualities sought by the employer. Review the job posting, if it is still available, and the organization's website for information on their mission, vision, and values. 
• Prepare examples of projects or experiences that demonstrate skills or knowledge. It is helpful to have a list of relevant experiences available to refer to during the interview. This can ease nerves and make the candidate appear more confident and prepared.
• Answer fully, tell the full story. When addressing interview questions, give a real-life instance or situation relating to the question or skill. Briefly provide context information, explain actions taken, and quantify the outcome. Consider framing your answers using these four steps: situation, tasks, action, and result (also known as the STAR method). The STAR method guides the structure of your answer to hold the interviewer’s interest and can keep you from rambling on with a long-winded answer. Stressing quantifiable results is significant as it highlights how a candidate handled a situation, rather than how they would.
• Do not shy away from undesirable outcomes. If the situation being described did not yield the desired outcome, it can still be a viable answer in an interview. When communicating the result, candidates should emphasize their adaptability, growth, and takeaways from the experience and how they learned from their mistakes.
• Seek clarification if needed. It is important to answer all questions fully, so it is important for the candidate to understand what each question is asking. It is completely appropriate to ask for a question to be repeated or reworded to ensure understanding. It is also appropriate to ask to skip a question and come back if more time is needed to formulate an answer.
• Prepare questions for the interviewer. Interviewers will often ask if candidates have any questions about the position at the end of an interview. This is a chance for candidates to show their investment in the job and to learn more about other parts of the organization. Interviews are also for candidates to ensure that the department is a good fit for them and their values. 

International students may be eligible to work as student employees at UC San Diego and will generally hold either an F-1 or J-1 student Visa. The primary differences between these two types of Visas relate to how long international students can work following the end of their studies, as well as if work authorization is required prior to employment. International students who hold either an F-1 or J-1 Visa status are eligible for on-campus student employment during the period of their academic study at UC San Diego. All positions must end on or before the expiration date of the UC San Diego Form I-20. However, there are different considerations and requirements for each type of Visa. International remote work is not permitted at UC San Diego, if traveling outside of the United States the position may need to be terminated or put on short-work break depending on the length of time away.

F-1:

International students who hold an F-1 Visa status can be employed at the following types of on-campus student employment:

• Work on the school premises, employed by the I-20 issuing institution (such as work for a UC San Diego department or college dining hall).
• Work on the school premises, employed by on-campus commercial firms (such as work at one of the restaurants in Price Center) which provides direct student service (such as food).
• Work done at an off-campus location that is educationally affiliated with UC San Diego (for graduate students only).

The employment type does not need to be related to the student’s major or course of study. These students can start working up to 30 days before the start of classes (for new students entering the United States with an initial UC San Diego I-20) or after the issuance of the I-20 for new transfer students (transferring from another US institution).

Furthermore, F-1 student employees are strictly confined to the same work hour limits as non-international students (i.e. fewer than 20 hours per week during academic sessions and up to 40 hours per week during periods of non-enrollment which include the summer and breaks between academic quarters).

J-1:

All J-1 students must obtain authorization from the International Services and Engagement Office (ISEO), formerly known as ISPO, for on-campus employment before beginning any type of work. This includes paid positions, such as assistantships (TA, GSR) and fellowships, other paid positions not related to the course of study, and on-campus unpaid internships. While J-1 students can work the same hours per week as other students, they must be able to provide proof of their work authorization from ISEO for the specific employment in advance and in writing. J-1 students can start working no earlier than the start date listed on their DS-2019 form (Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor (J-1) Status).

Social Security Number (SSN) Application:

Since both F-1 and J-1 student employees will be earning income through their on-campus student employment positions, they are also required to apply for and obtain a Social Security Number. However, these students can start working prior to the SSN process being complete, at the hiring department's discretion. To apply for a Social Security Number (SSN), students must provide employment verification to the Social Security Administration. The student should provide the department with a template offer letter that states the required fields for their SSN application, and they must have a letter with wet signatures (i.e. signatures in pen on paper). The student must also request a Social Security Administration Application (SSA) support letter from the International Services and Engagement Office (ISEO). When visiting the Social Security Administration office, the student will be required to present a valid passport, their most recent I-94, the job offer letter with wet signatures, and the SSA form.

Once the student employee has obtained their SSN, either the student or their HR representative can update the information in UCPath. The student also needs to submit their SSN information to the Office of the Registrar.

Failure to complete this step may result in Defined Contribution Plan (DCP) deductions from your paycheck. Any DCP deductions should be brought to the attention of the department HR representative as soon as possible to be resolved.